


smile (for me)

by 14crushed



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Game Personalities (New Dangan Ronpa V3), i guess lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23207266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/14crushed/pseuds/14crushed
Summary: “Well… in any case, you came here for a photo and an autograph, didn’t you?” Amami says. “We should probably, uh, get that over with soon.” One look at his manager tells him that they aren’t going to make exceptions for anyone that doesn’t get their picture and autograph before the place is supposed to close.“Right!” The boy shifts his hat just enough so his face isn’t obscured by the brim and walks to Amami’s side. The photographer gets ready for the last picture of the day, and Amami puts on his last fake smile. The boy beside him flashes a smile brighter than his in comparison, not even the flash from the camera could compete with the light he feels emitting off of him.-Amami takes some pictures with a fake smile.(Day 3: Photography/Ice Cream)
Relationships: Amami Rantarou/Saihara Shuuichi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 26





	smile (for me)

“Smile for the camera, Amami!”

Bright white flashes and blinds him for a split second as he shows off a pose he's already practiced before in the mirror. A smile is on his face, one so forced as to hide the unhappiness he feels whenever he has to go to these events. But it's not the first time he's ever had to wear this smile before, so it comes naturally. No one in the crowd even notices. 

Only twenty minutes pass with Amami taking photos with fans he doesn't know and signing pictures of his own face, but it feels like an eternity of hell. He has a feeling he might collapse when he thinks that it’s almost over, until the Team Danganronpa employee watching over him tells him he has to keep himself together until he can get back to the dressing room. There's no sympathy in their voice, it's more like a command than encouragement. And unless Amami wants to end up bankrupt, he has to follow it. 

A lot of fans come to see him. Most of them are younger, waiting until the day they’re finally old enough to sign up for Danganronpa and become just like him. It makes him uneasy knowing that they’re all waiting for the day they can throw their lives away, but there’s not much he can do to stop them without breaking NDA. They’re all good kids, he's sure. Some aren’t as respectful as others, and a lot of them probably haven’t showered or interacted with another person in at least two weeks, but they’re young. And they’ll grow out of their phase one day. (It’ll probably only be if they die or if they survive like he did, but it is what it is. They were the ones handing their lives to a television company, and they’d have to deal with it just like he did.)

There’s only ten minutes left of the hour and a half event. The amount of people left to take pictures with him are dying down rapidly, and the place has gotten a lot quieter. The only things filling up the silence are the brief, professional words between Amami’s manager and the security guards and the hasty whispering between various friend groups. They’re not very _good_ at hiding what they’re talking about, especially when it involves him and he’s in the same room, but he’d take it any day over indecent comments shouted at his face in real life.

Several camera flashes later, and suddenly it's five minutes until the pictures wrap up. Only four fans are left, all around his age. He’s already taken pictures with two of them earlier, the brown-haired girl with pigtails and the short boy with purple eyes, so that leaves the blonde girl and the boy with a hat on to take and sign pictures for.

The blonde girl elbows the boy wearing a hat in the ribs and rushes to take a picture while he’s down. Amami’s smile grows a lot more forced than before.

The shorter boy helps up the one with the hat on, who carefully stumbles his way over to Amami like he’s afraid he won’t get the chance for pictures and puts on a smile like nothing happened at all. “Hi, Amami-kun! I’m honored to finally meet you.”

Amami only stares with concern. “Are you okay? That girl didn’t hit you too hard, did she?”

“Oh, Akamatsu-san?” he asks. “Don’t worry about it. She’s my best friend, she didn’t hit me too hard. And I’m used to it, either way.”

Amami levels a glare at the girl named Akamatsu. She looks just as confused to hear that as he is and looks away.

“What?” is all Amami manages.

The boy seems to realize what he’s said out loud and pulls his hat down over his face. “Um, forget that part. But it’s not because of Akamatsu-san, I promise. She wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

Amami looks back at Akamatsu. Akamatsu's looking at the wall.

“Well… in any case, you came here for a photo and an autograph, didn’t you?” Amami says. “We should probably, uh, get that over with soon.” One look at his manager tells him that they aren’t going to make exceptions for anyone that doesn’t get their picture and autograph before the place is supposed to close.

“Right!” The boy shifts his hat just enough so his face isn’t obscured by the brim and walks to Amami’s side. The photographer gets ready for the last picture of the day, and Amami puts on his last fake smile. The boy beside him flashes a smile brighter than his in comparison, not even the flash from the camera could compete with the light he feels emitting off of him. 

He breaks out of his pose and the boy beside him fiddles for something in his bag that he assumes is a picture he wants him to sign, or a marker. Instead, the brown-haired girl puts a marker and a photo in one of Amami's hands and tells him, “Wait. Saihara’s got something he wants to give you.” 

He waits, and the boy he now knows as Saihara fumbles around in his bag a bit more until he finally finds what he’s looking for. A once neat piece of paper that got crumpled in his backpack. He folds it up as neatly as possible and puts it in Amami’s free hand. “Oh, and, um. That autograph is for me, by the way. Harukawa-san and Ouma-kun were holding those things for me.”

Harukawa gives Amami a knowing look while Ouma just waves shyly. He stuffs the note in his pocket and tells Saihara “I’ll take a look at it after this.”

He signs the picture just before closing time. Saihara happily takes it from him and rambles about what an honor it was to meet him, and then Akamatsu reminds him that they need to get going, and quick. Saihara apologizes sheepishly, and the four of them make their way out of the event hall. Amami’s manager mumbles something about how exhausting fans are before letting him go on break.

In the dressing room, Amami douses himself in water bottles, then dries his face, and slaps himself awake. He’s absolutely exhausted, like he’s used to being after these kinds of things, but he’s just glad that it’s finally over with. It’ll only be two more months before he has to do it again.

He takes off his outfit from Season 52 that they made him wear again and throws off the backpack that comes with it. He slips on the pants of his uniform and is about to put the rest on and leave the place entirely, until he notices the note that Saihara gave him fell from the pockets of his other pants.

_I don’t know how much free time you have, but I was wondering if we could hang out sometime? My phone number’s listed below if you want to arrange something or just chat. You don’t have to, though!_

_-Saihara Shuuichi_

Amami’s face heats up a little. It’s the smallest thing, but he can’t help but think about how much courage that kid had to have to actually give it to him.

He slips into the rest of his high school uniform, and pulls out his phone, texting the number Saihara wrote out for him.

_[user]: hey, this is saihara shuuichi’s number, yeah?_

It doesn’t take Saihara long to start typing. But from what Amami can tell, he’s definitely backspacing a lot of his text.

_[saihara]: Yeah! That’s me!_

_[saihara]: Is this Amami Rantarou?_

_[user]: the one and only_

Saihara starts typing up text and deleting it again. It takes a good three minutes before he actually sends something.

_[saihara]: Oh, I’m glad you actually read my note!_

_[saihara]: I was really nervous to give it to you if I’m being honest, haha_

_[saihara]: But my friends didn’t want me to chicken out on what was basically asking you out on a date so I went through with it_

_[user]: that took a lot of courage. you did good_

_[saihara]: Oh! I did?_

Amami wonders if Saihara’s ever been told something positive about himself ever before. He brushes the thought off and keeps typing.

_[user]: yeah of course you did_

_[user]: i'd be interested in a date sometime soon. you seem like a good guy_

_[user]: i’m free whenever, since i don’t do much that isn’t already scheduled by team danganronpa lol_

_[user]: is tonight cool with you? we can do anything, i’m not picky_

It’s a while before Saihara gives him a response. Amami watches him try to piece together exactly what he wants to say for a period he can’t remember the length of, but it feels far too long compared to what it actually was. Which is probably seven minutes. He felt his heart beat against his chest for all of it.

_[saihara]: Tonight’s good! I didn’t think you’d actually want to do anything tonight so I had to scramble for some plans_

_[saihara]: There’s an ice cream shop nearby! Do you want to go there maybe?_

_[user]: that’s cool with me. will you be there in like an hour and a half?_

_[saihara]: Probably, if Harukawa-san doesn’t get into a car crash!_

_[user]: please don’t get into a car crash_

_[saihara]: Tell that to Harukawa-san_

_[user]: i can’t really do that_

_[user]: you stay safe okay? i’ll see you at that ice cream place soon_

_[saihara]: Of course! I’ll see you there, Amami-kun_

Amami’s about to tuck his phone away into his pockets and get ready for his new date, but some new messages from Saihara pop up before he can get the chance.

_[saihara]: And, I know I already said this, but it was really great getting to meet you today, Amami-kun._

_[saihara]: You have a really lovely smile!_

He stares back at his phone in what is half disbelief and half genuine surprise. His face heats up even more, and he gives Saihara his last text for the day until their date in ninety minutes.

_[user]: thank you, saihara. you do too. i’d like to see it again_

Amami slips on a pair of shades and a mask to hide his face away, but underneath it is a genuine smile that he can’t wait to show Saihara.

**Author's Note:**

> i am not... Super proud of this one but i wanted to do at least one thing for amasai week 2020 and well. here it is! i miss these two a lot. i love them
> 
> you can expect something else next week too for a Certain Someone's birthday and i have to say i'm very excited to get to writing it. i hope you all enjoy that, and that you enjoyed this!


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